Mark Richardson (California)

This page was current at the end of the official's last term in office covered by Ballotpedia. Please contact us with any updates.

Mark Richardson

Nonpartisan

Prior offices

Santa Clara Unified School District school board Trustee Area 2

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Elections and appointments

Last election

November 3, 2020

Personal

Birthplace

San Mateo, Calif.

Contact

Personal website

Mark Richardson was a member of the Santa Clara Unified School District school board in California, representing Trustee Area 2. He assumed office in 2016. He left office on December 11, 2020.

Richardson ran for re-election to the Santa Clara Unified School District school board to represent Trustee Area 2 in California. He lost in the general election on November 3, 2020.

Richardson completed Ballotpedia's Candidate Connection survey in 2020. Click here to read the survey answers.

Biography

Email editor@ballotpedia.org to notify us of updates to this biography.

Richardson's community involvement includes founding the Lowell Slater Richardson Foundation and volunteering in public school districts and youth sports. His additional service experience includes:

• Volunteer and mentor for The Foundry School from 1995 to 2005
• Board member for the Community Advisory Committee, CNC from 2004 to 2012
• Assistant coach and DPS volunteer for the Sunnyvale PAL Boxing Program from 2006 to 2009
• PTA treasurer for Ponderosa Elementary from 2007 to 2008
• PEPCO board member for Ponderosa Elementary from 2008 to 2010
• School Site Council board member for Ponderosa Elementary from 2013 to 2016
• Volunteer with the AVID program for Fremont High School from 2011 to 2014
• Volunteer with the Vistas Program for Fremont High School from 2015 to 2016

Elections

2020

See also: Santa Clara Unified School District, California, elections (2020)

General election

General election for Santa Clara Unified School District school board Trustee Area 2 (2 seats)

Bonnie Lieberman and incumbent Albert Gonzalez defeated incumbent Mark Richardson in the general election for Santa Clara Unified School District school board Trustee Area 2 on November 3, 2020.

		Candidate	%	Votes
✔		Bonnie Lieberman (Nonpartisan)	41.4	28,797
✔		Albert Gonzalez (Nonpartisan)	38.8	27,009
		Mark Richardson (Nonpartisan)	19.8	13,818

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	Incumbents are bolded and underlined. The results have been certified. Source	Total votes: 69,624
= candidate completed the Ballotpedia Candidate Connection survey.
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2016

See also: Santa Clara Unified School District elections (2016)

Three of the seven seats on the Santa Clara Unified School District board of trustees were up for by-district general election on November 8, 2016. The race for the two Trustee Area 2 seats featured incumbent Albert Gonzalez and challengers Ashish Mangla and Mark Richardson. Gonzalez won re-election, and Richardson won the other seat on the ballot. Trustee Area 3 incumbent Michele Ryan defeated challenger Anna Welsh to win another seat on the board.

Results

Santa Clara Unified School District, Trustee Area 2 General Election, 4-year term, 2016
Candidate	Vote %	Votes
Albert Gonzalez Incumbent	49.26%	26,613
Mark Richardson	29.41%	15,890
Ashish Mangla	21.32%	11,518
Total Votes		54,021
Source: Santa Clara County Registrar of Voters, "Official Final Results," accessed December 7, 2016

Funding

See also: Campaign finance in the Santa Clara Unified School District election

Richardson reported $6,244.00 in contributions and $5,615.64 in expenditures to the Santa Clara County Registrar of Voters, which left his campaign with $628.36 on hand as of October 22, 2016.

Endorsements

Richardson was endorsed by the United Teachers of Santa Clara.

Campaign themes

2020

Ballotpedia survey responses

See also: Ballotpedia's Candidate Connection

Mark Richardson completed Ballotpedia's Candidate Connection survey in 2020. The survey questions appear in bold and are followed by Richardson's responses. Candidates are asked three required questions for this survey, but they may answer additional optional questions as well.

Expand all | Collapse all

Who are you? Tell us about yourself.

Mark Richardson is a father, husband and longtime community volunteer and advocate for children. Mark's parents were both public school teachers and Mark's volunteer work with students spans decades. Mark founded a non profit foundation in 1996 to award college grants to "at risk" students.

Please list below 3 key messages of your campaign. What are the main points you want voters to remember about your goals for your time in office?

• Students, teachers, and parents deserve the highest level of effort and expertise from SCUSD.
• "At risk" students need our support to survive.
• Continue to help navigate the extraordinary challenges facing the SCUSD infrastructure and focus on student's success and growth.

What areas of public policy are you personally passionate about?

Public policy is often developed by and for adults. Children are literally the future of our society, yet they are sometimes marginalized by public policy.

The students served by SCUSD come from a diverse, growing community with a vast range of challenges. There are socio economic, cultural and generational challenges. In addition to their diverse backgrounds, these students are growing up in a complex world. The local environment affords great opportunity for some, and a lack of basic essentials for others.

I believe all children are "our" children; they deserve our collective, best efforts.

Who do you look up to? Whose example would you like to follow, and why?

I look up to young people. Their resilience, strength and spiritual freedom is inspiring. They have bright futures that are unfolding and it's a wonderful thing to see.

Is there a book, essay, film, or something else you would recommend to someone who wants to understand your political philosophy?

No, but "The Sneetches" by Dr. Suess has some interesting lessons.

What characteristics or principles are most important for an elected official?

If you feel an elected official is looking out for constituents first, they are truly working for you.

What do you believe are the core responsibilities for someone elected to this office?

Again, to act on behalf of constituents. If you have other's best interests at heart, you will do a good job. Sometimes we are faced with problems that have no great solutions. I ask myself "what helps kids the most?", and that helps me a lot.

What legacy would you like to leave?

I would like to leave a legacy that continues to inspire adults to help the neediest kids.

What is the first historical event that happened in your lifetime that you remember? How old were you at the time?

I was on the same ballot as Hillary Clinton and Donald Trump, a very surreal experience.

What was your very first job? How long did you have it?

I was a dishwasher in a restaurant for about six months. I enjoyed the independence and the paycheck (but I didn't like washing the dishes so much).

What is your favorite book? Why?

"Guns, Germs and Steel" by Jared Diamond. Very thought provoking.

What is the primary job of a school board member in your view?

School board members work together to provide vision and direction for the school district. Although the board has some specific tasks, they provide the atmosphere and tools for a Superintendent to create and run a world class school district.

Who are your constituents?

All members of our community are my constituents, everyone has a voice.

How would you support the diverse needs of your district’s students, faculty, staff, and community?

I support our community by being present and listening. We do have a very diverse, growing district and often they don't feel heard. Listening is the first step to success.

How will you build relationships with members of the broader community? Which groups, organizations, stakeholders will you specifically target?

As a resident, father, experienced trustee, local businessman and volunteer, I have relationships with the community. Any group of people interested in the welfare of students is interesting to me.

What will you do to build a better relationship with parents in the district? What plans do you have to be inclusive of parental involvement?

Responsiveness through many communication platform is necessary to interact with all parents. Although our board has a designated spokesperson in our president, I've been engages with parents in many ways over four years.

Do you believe it is important to intentionally recruit with the aim of diversifying the district’s faculty, staff, and administration? If so, what would be your policy to achieve this?

I do believe recruiting a diverse, talented staff is important, however that is not the role of a school board trustee. Our recent appointment of a talented Superintendent with global teaching experience gives me faith in diversity. She will lead the charge in diverse hiring.

What issues get in the way of quality education? How would you address these obstacles?

People get in their own way. If you remain curious, always drive for self improvement and surround yourself with smart, talented people, the quality will improve. Create a safe, curious, fluid organization and the obstacles will disappear.

What constitutes good teaching? How will you measure this? How will you support advanced teaching approaches?

Successful teaching contains such subjective magic that I find it hard to quantify. If students are engaged, want to be at school and are challenged they will thrive. A successful board member helps create a great environment where the educators thrive as well.

What type of skills should students be learning for success in the 21st century?

It's hard to predict our future. I social and cultural skills are sometimes overlooked. Regardless of one's job in the future, you will work with people. Working well with all people can be an art.

How might you improve the value of a high school diploma? What should a 21st century diploma reflect?

I think more gradiations of diplomas could be offered. I'm more interested in the value a student places on that achievement.

In what areas would you like to expand curriculum? For example, do you see a need for advanced technical training or apprenticeships? What sort of innovative programming would you advance if given the opportunity?

I see a need for more technical training, language, arts, sciences that are not currently in vogue.

What strategies or plans would you advance to ensure the schools are properly funded?

School funding is not within the purvue of a school board trustee. Careful budgeting and spending is, and I've spent significant energy over four years working on fiscal prudence.

What principles drive your policies for safety in schools?

I think of each student as my child. Staying safe is a challenge these days, but I ask for the same level of care and safety I'd want for my own kids.

How might you support the mental health needs of students/faculty/staff?

SCUSD has invested heavily in wellness and my experience in multiple industries taught me a lot about balancing work/life. If a school board supports mental health district professionals, they will support our staff and students.

What role do you imagine technology playing in (and outside) the classroom in the future? How would you prepare the district for this?

Technology will grow in our classrooms; some of it great and some of it awful. Nimble and thoughtful management can make this growth a success. We live in the hub of tech and need to embrace the best parts for the benefit of our students.

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